Desiring the Enemy
Read Desiring the Enemy Online
Authors: Niecy Lavelle
Desiring
The
Enemy
By Niecy Lavelle
This is a work of fiction. The events and characters described
herein are imaginary
and are not intended to refer to specific people or places.
All rights reserved
Copyright © 2015 Niecy Lavelle
This book may not be reproduced, transmitted or stored in whole or in part by any means, including graphic, electronic or mechanical without the express written permission of the publisher.
To my husband and daughters, the three people who bring happiness to every day of my life.
Jenna Delaney’s excitement was palpable as she envisioned the rest of her day. After working seventy hour weeks for several months she had finally gotten a break. The accounting firm she worked for was in the midst of tax season but a couple of clients had canceled meetings at the last minute and she had been able to finish ahead of schedule. Her boss, Stanley Wilkinson, who was more like a father to her than a boss, let her leave early.
Go spend some
time with that fiancée of yours
he had said.
She knew John would already be home and decided to surprise him by making a romantic dinner, a luxury that their hectic itineraries didn’t usually allow. As she walked to her car she smiled at the thought of spending a cozy evening with the man she was going to spend the rest of her life with. Her cell phone suddenly rang, interrupting her reverie, and she looked down to see Heather’s name blinking back at her. She’d known Heather since grade school and Jenna couldn’t imagine having a better friend or confidante. They only lived fifteen minutes apart but with Jenna’s crazy hours they hardly got to see each other, something that Jenna often regretted.
“Hi hon, what’s up?”
“Hey Jenna. I was wondering if you’d like to hang out later, I haven’t seen you in forever. I know you get out late, but it’s Friday night, I’m sure you can come out for a couple of hours. I miss you.”
Jenna knew that she had been neglecting her friend, and she hated lying to her, but she desperately needed to spend some quality time with John.
“I’m sorry babe, but I’m stuck at work. I won’t get out ‘til after nine. With the hour commute I won’t get home ‘til after ten and I’ll be too tired by then.”
“Am I ever going to get to see you again?” Heather whined.
“Tell you what, I have to go into the office tomorrow morning but I’ll be done by twelve. Why don’t we meet for lunch?”
“I guess that’s better than nothing,” Heather said dejectedly.
“I know I haven’t been around lately, but soon tax season will be over and I’ll have much more free time. Just give me a few more weeks then we’ll have plenty of time to hang out, okay?” Jenna said, hoping to appease her.
“Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
“I’ll text you when I get home. Goodbye hon.”
“Goodbye.”
Jenna reached her car and began the long drive home. She stopped at the supermarket to get some ingredients she needed for her dinner, then at the liquor store for a nice bottle of wine. The dashboard clock read four-thirty, the earliest she’d been home in quite some time. John would be thrilled to see her.
She parked the car but before she headed in she went to the mailbox to pick up her mail. Nothing but junk mail, she thought, before she saw the letter from her landlord. She furrowed her brow, what could he be writing her about? She’d look at it later, at the moment she had something much more important to do. She tucked the letter in her briefcase and let herself into the house through a side door. John probably wouldn’t even hear her come in. If she was going to surprise him she might as well go all the way, she thought with a grin.
She set her bags down by the mudroom and tiptoed into the living room. She searched the downstairs but he was nowhere to be found. Figuring he must be in the bedroom she eased her way up the stairs. As she got closer she heard voices, and with a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach she slowly opened the door.
“Jenna!” she heard John say as she took in the sight of her fiancée in bed with her best friend.
***
“Wade, my friend Jenna is going through a rough patch and needs a place to stay…just a couple of months…my girl…love her…help her out.”
“Uncle Stanley, I’m losing you,” Wade Wilkinson tried to move around the room to see if he could get better reception.
At first he had been happy to hear from his favorite uncle. Uncle Stanley had always been there for him, especially after he lost his father at the age of ten. But his happiness soon turned to dismay when he asked him for this favor. Wade owned a ranch and his house was certainly big enough to accommodate the woman, so that wasn’t an issue. The issue was that his uncle was cheating on Aunt Rose and he wouldn’t be a part of it.
“Wade, are you there?” Uncle Stanley was asking.
“Yes Uncle Stanley, I’m here. I’m sorry Unc, but this is too much to ask. Maybe someone else can help you out,” he said with disdain. “Uncle Stanley, are you still there?”
He had wanted to say more but the connection was lost. He tried calling back but the call went to voice mail and he decided not to leave a message. He was sure his uncle had heard him declining to help, at least he hoped he had. He’d always held his uncle in the highest regard, but this situation had put him in a new light and Wade was supremely disappointed. How could he do this to Aunt Rose?
He decided to forget about it for the moment and get back to work. Uncle Stanley and Aunt Rose would soon be going on one of their exotic vacations, but as soon as they returned Wade would have a word with his uncle. This woman he was involved with must be some piece of work, he thought. A gold digger, someone who would destroy a forty year marriage to get her hands on Uncle Stanley’s money. And what about Uncle Stanley? How could he sacrifice his marriage to a wonderful lady for a floozy? Wade snorted in disgust and headed to the stables.
Desolate: the one word that could describe Jenna at this point in time. John cheating on her was bad enough, but with Heather? How could they? Then, as if that wasn’t enough, she had been told that she would have to vacate her apartment. The house that she had lived in for the past three years had been sold and the new owners wanted to convert it back into a one family house. She knew the house had been for sale but assumed that the buyers would keep it as a two family, allowing her to continue renting her wonderful apartment. In a matter of weeks she had lost her fiancée, her best friend, and now her home.
Her life had always been in order, maybe fastidiously so. She had always made decisions that she thought would lead to a happy and prosperous life. She loved her work and she had chosen a man she believed was perfect for her. He was handsome, had a good career, and assured her he wanted the same things out of life as she did. Maybe he wasn’t the most fun-loving person but neither was she. Her life revolved around work, it left little time for fun and that was fine with them, or so she thought. To now, at the ripe old age of twenty-nine, find her life in such chaos had her head reeling. How had it come to this? She needed to get away, but where could she go? Her relationship with her parents left a lot to be desired, there was no way she was asking them for help.
When Stanley and Rose had seen her life deteriorate so rapidly they stepped in with an offer to help. She’d worked for them since she graduated college and they’d become sort of surrogate parents to her.
“My nephew Wade owns a ranch just south of here. It’s just him in that huge house, he’ll gladly let you stay there for a few months while you get back on your feet,” Stanley said.
“I know you’re trying to help, and I love you for it, but there’s no way that I’m going to impose on a total stranger for such an extended stay. And besides, I can’t stop working now, I need the money.” She was paid well and should have had a nice nest egg, but she had paid all the bills when John was in law school, then she had been paying off his student loans while he got settled in his new job. At the time she’d believed that she was investing in their future together, how was she to know that he’d turn out to be a cheating bastard?
“I already spoke with Wade and he’s happy to help. We’re going into the slow season at the firm and the other accountants can cover for you for a couple of months. We want to offer you a paid leave of absence while you’re at the ranch. You’ve worked harder than anyone since you started working for us and you deserve it. We feel somewhat responsible for what happened, maybe if you had worked less hours you and John would still be together.” Stanley lowered his eyes, guilt clouding them for a moment.
“Don’t you ever say that! I worked hard because I wanted to, not because you made me. And if that’s all it took for John to cheat on me then I’m glad I found out before we were married.” She patted him on the shoulder and he gave her a small smile. “You owe me nothing, and I’m sure as heck not going to accept wages that I haven’t earned.”
“Honey, doing this is in our best interest too. Once you’ve had time to clear your head you’ll come back to work better than before, if that’s possible,” Rose chimed in, smiling as she took her chin in her hand.
“Yeah, but…”
“No buts. We won’t take no for an answer.”
Jenna looked in her eyes and saw that she meant what she said. She thought about it a bit more, then decided to accept their offer.
“Okay, I’ll do it. Thank you so much for everything you’ve done for me, I feel like you’re more family to me than my own parents,” Jenna said with tears in her eyes. As much as she loved her parents their constant criticism had forced her to keep her distance. Stanley and Rose were the closest to family she had and she was thankful she had them.
“I’m glad we can help, sweetheart. You’re like a daughter to us and we love you.” Rose extended her arms and pulled her in for a big hug.
“I love you too,” Jenna said, as she returned the hug.
***
Once the decision was made everything moved very quickly. Jenna put her furniture in storage and began the long trek to the ranch. She would be getting a weekly check from Stanley deposited directly into her account and she could put it together to get a new place. Not having to pay rent would be a tremendous help and by the end of two months she would have enough to pay the rent and security deposit she would need to lease an apartment.
She drove for hours without stopping, the beautiful landscape ahead wasted on her. The preoccupation with getting her life back on track consumed her every thought. She knew she would eventually have to return to Austin, that’s where she worked, but she also knew that she would have to live as far away from John and Heather as possible. Seeing her ex fiancée and her ex best friend together would undoubtedly hurt too much. As much as she knew that she was better off without them, their sudden loss was almost too painful to bear. The GPS told her she was almost at the ranch. She finally looked before her and was struck by the beauty of this rustic land. Austin was a wonderful city, but getting away and in touch with nature in this bucolic paradise would definitely help to clear her mind.
She made the last turn and had to drive a bit before reaching the stunning two story house. Tall round columns welcomed one to the wide wraparound porch. Two rocking chairs flanked the front door while a two person swing gently swayed on the right end of the porch, giving the majestic home a cozy flavor. In the distance she could see the horse stables and the men working on the property. They were pretty far away and didn’t notice her pull up to the driveway. The stables were behind the house and once she parked the car she would be unseen by them.
Jenna got out slowly and stretched her aching limbs. Driving non-stop had been rough but she made good time, this would allow her to meet everyone early. It was just two-thirty in the afternoon, she could introduce herself and unpack without disrupting the household. The last thing she had wanted was to disturb her benefactor in the middle of the night.
She ambled up the walkway and rang the doorbell, straightening her blouse as she waited. She must look a fright, she thought to herself, with her wrinkled clothes and bare face. She had worn no makeup, figuring it would’ve been a mess by the time she made it to the ranch. After waiting a few seconds a pleasant young woman answered the door.
“Yes, can I help you?” the woman asked.
“Hello, I’m Jenna Delaney. Mr. Wilkinson is expecting me.”
The woman gave Jenna a confused look. “Really? That’s odd, Wade never told me he was expecting company.”
“Maybe Stanley forgot to tell him when I would be arriving. I hope this isn’t a problem?”
“Oh, Stanley sent you? I’m sorry, come right in. I’m Gretchen, by the way, the housekeeper,” The woman said, giving Jenna a huge smile.
“Nice to meet you Gretchen.” Jenna liked her immediately.
“Nice to meet you too,” Gretchen said, moving out of the way to let Jenna enter the large house.
“I guess I should bring in my luggage, let me go to my car and fetch it.”
“Are you staying overnight?” Gretchen asked, confusion again clouding her face.
“Actually, Stanley made arrangements with Mr. Wilkinson for me to spend a couple of months here.” Jenna was surprised that Gretchen had been told nothing about her.
“Great. Then by all means, go get your luggage and I’ll go straighten up the guest room.”
Jenna nodded and turned back toward her car as she creased her brow. Gretchen was taken completely by surprise by her plans and that worried Jenna. She hoped her staying here wouldn’t be a problem.
She picked up her bags and walked back into the house, setting the luggage down in the foyer. As she waited for Gretchen to come back she took in the beauty of the marble floors and high ceilings of the entryway, thinking that the exquisite touches were not what she had expected at all. To the left was a large living area with comfortable, inviting furniture which was a bit at odds with the architectural grandeur of the house. Soon she heard Gretchen coming down the stairs.
“The room was already clean, I just opened the window to let it air out. You can go right up, it’s the first room on the left.”
Jenna thanked Gretchen and grabbed her suitcases as she started up the stairs, shooing her away when she tried to help her.
“You’ve done enough, I think I can carry my own bags,” she said, smiling broadly.
“Okay, but if you need anything just let me know, that’s what I’m here for.”
Jenna easily found the room and placed her suitcases on the bed. She looked around the large room, pleased with the feminine décor. It was obvious that a woman had had a hand in adorning the comfortable room. The gentle breeze blew the floral curtains into the room as Jenna inhaled the clean country air. Yes, this was just what she needed to help her clear her mind, Jenna thought, as she opened the larger of the suitcases.
***
It had been a week since his uncle’s outrageous request and he hadn’t heard from him since. Wade knew that he and Aunt Rose would be leaving on their trip to Africa soon but didn’t know exactly when. They were adventurers and this type of vacation was routine for them, Wade knew the drill. Once they left they would be incommunicado and he wouldn’t be able to get in touch with them until they returned. He hadn’t tried contacting his uncle again since that call, figuring he had gotten the message and wouldn’t be sending his ‘friend’ to him.
This particular day he had been out helping one of the ranch hands and returned to the house a little after three. He went in through the back entrance and didn’t see the car parked in the driveway. As soon as he walked in Gretchen called him into the kitchen.
“Wade, a girl came to the house a little while ago. She said your uncle Stanley sent her. I wasn’t sure what to do so I sent her upstairs, I hope that was alright.”
“Where is she?” Wade asked with barely contained anger.
“She’s in the guest room,” Gretchen said nervously.
“Okay, thanks Gretchen,” he said as he went up the stairs.
He found her in the room, her back turned to him as she unpacked.
“Excuse me, but I think you should stop unpacking right now.”
He caught her by surprise and she gasped. “I’m sorry. I was told that I could come up to this room,” she said as she turned around to face him, embarrassment coloring her cheeks.
He looked at her face and was taken aback by her beauty. Her long red hair and emerald green eyes took his breath away, but he soon regained his composure.
“I don’t know what my uncle told you but I never agreed to host you for any length of time. I think you should leave. I’ll talk to my uncle later.” There was no way he was going to be a party to his aunt’s deception.
“He told me that I could come stay here for the next couple of months. I lost the lease to my apartment and I have nowhere to go,” she said as her eyes welled up.
“I’m sorry to hear that, but you can’t stay here,” She looked at him with such innocence that he couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. He wanted to remain firm but felt himself start to waver.
“If you send me away I don’t know where I would go.” She hadn’t even tried to look for a new apartment, figuring she could think about it when she had cleared her head a bit at the ranch.
“Don’t you have any family?”
“No, I don’t sir,” she lied. She would never go to her parents for help. She knew their first reaction would be to criticize her and she was in too fragile a state to hear that right now.
He gave it some thought and against his better judgement decided to let her stay until he could get in touch with Uncle Stanley.
“Well, you can stay here for a day or two, until I can reach my uncle so that he can make other arrangements for you.”
“Thank you so much,” she said sniffling.
He turned and walked away.
***
Jenna had been taken by surprise when she saw the gorgeous man standing in front of her. He was tall, at least six foot two, with jet black hair and piercing blue eyes. His lantern jaw and day old stubble made him look like the cowboys she had only read about. He had wide shoulders and his well-worn faded jeans fit him like a glove.
Jenna saw the look of disdain in his eyes and couldn’t understand the animosity emanating from him. When Stanley and Rose had offered her Wade’s home they had seemed so sure that it would be okay with him. Based on this assumption she made no other arrangements and if he threw her out she really had nowhere to go. She supposed that she could get a motel room for a few days but then what would she do? Nobody would rent her an apartment without a lease and she was sure she would have to look around a while before she could find something suitable anyway. She needed to save her money for the rent and security payment, she couldn’t spend it all on motel rooms.
She decided to unpack some of her clothes for the next two days and see what would happen. As much as she didn’t want to be a burden she also hoped that Wade would change his mind. If she had had an inkling that this would be a problem when Stanley and Rose made the offer she would have never come, but now she was stuck.